Coming up Franz sees the cook with Mareike, she seems to want to speak with him but Franz is more interested in bring those he can somewhat trust together. "Ah, what it is, is that I want to speak with Mareike myself, so why don't you take the items and deal with the meal for the moment?" After he watches the cook leave, he turns to Mareike, "No better news. more and moreI don't want us isolated from each other? Know where Zad is?" If the cook doesn't leave, he aborts the line with Mareike and deals with the cook.
Fernis and Rangnir will wait outside the kitchen so as to avoid suspicion. In their language he says, "We are in a real nest here, dawi. Things are going to get ugly very quickly if we don't start hewing the gold from the scat."
Mareike waits, watching the conversation between Franz and cook
The cook nods, she doesn not dare any opposition and leaves the kitchen trhough the back door to collect some herbs from the still untended garden :).
----
You are the new gardener, right? Hey um... have you seen anyone carrying a long musket? Yeah, I know it sounds odd, but I think someone stole my rifle...oh sorry, my name's Alfons.
"Now that cook has left, we can speak a little more freely. We learned not much from the poor dwarf's ravings but it's clear his mind was broken by something that befell him, not an ordinary malady. The physican acts most suspiciously, I think he may be behind the outbreak of 'fatigue' around here but proving it will be hard. I feel danger all about us but it lacks form, have you seen anything more that may shed light in this pit of darkness?" Franz awaits Mareike's response.
This is more than meets the eye, for sure. I would not be surprised to find the traitors to be in liege with chaos. We must find a time and place to meet with the others, and soon. If I am right, the next attack might not come from the outside, only!
Mareike watches the cook leave then turns to Franz expectantly.
Considering his words she says all in a rush, her eyes gleaming
"The cook's a heretical fool, but no friend to the chaos beasts I'm sure. The rest of the house staff has been afflicted as the Lord has, except for one , Hanna, who's been swooning with that disgusting man Pierrson. And just now I discovered a secret passage in the cellar, it led me to another cellar, but much older it was. I'd have looked more but the cook was about to come down. Lucky you came when you did."
She pauses to take a breath "I think the Morr-man was out gardening, last I saw"
Franz takes the news well, "Something real to look at! Wonderful! Hmmm, we could call it a crack in the foundation, not that such an excuse would not be seen through. I dislike leaving Zad alone so long but we can't pass up a chance at finding out more." Franz calls to the dwarves out of the room, "Master Masons, please come in, there appears to be something worthy of your attention." When they come in, "Please check the foundations, we wouldn't want the place to come down on us would we? Mareike could hold the candle for you as you look." Franz continues in a lower tone, "I'll stay up here and make sure that you can come back. Let me know if you find anything." Franz waves Mareike forward to lead the dwarves to her finding.
"Rangnir and I will give them a real thorough lookin'."
Take care. If they are really in liege with chaos and they find out we are down there, they might resort to violence, no matter the cost Rangnir whispers to Herr Flechter.
With a nod to Franz, she gestures for the dawi to follow. Gathering up her candle, plus a couple extra, she ventures back down into the cellar.
Picking her way through the boxes and barrels, she comes again to the concealing shelf. "'Twas behind this here shelf..see...you can feel the draft" she says, reaching for the latch behind the shelf.
A metallic snick and she pulled the shelf away from the wall, revealing the narrow passage way. "I'll lead the way as I've been through already" she says, a quaver in her voice revealing the trepidation she was feeling of venturing back into the constricting passage.
With a gulp, she thrust her way in, not waiting for the dwarves, until she was through to the other side.
Franz nods to the concerned dwarf, quietly saying, "I expect as much Master Ragnir Gudrunson, but I'm trained for range not close combat. Few will dare question me, if they do by word or deed, my chances are better where I can talk, move, and shoot. Thanks but we all have our duties, hopefully you'll find useful answers." Franz stands guard making sure his weapon is loaded, and somewhat safely holstered.
Fernis smiles a wide, large toothed grin and says, "Pretty sure I'll be beating them to the punch, Rangnir. A dead cultist is worth as much as a live one, hehehehe."
The guard seems a bit disappointed
Well, it's the only rifle we have here at the manor...umm...damn...if Blucher finds out he'll kill me...you know, the rifle was quite decisive in our victory against the beastmen...without it we lose a lot of our firepower. Guess I'll have to check the manor's inside as well.
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While Franz guards the entrance, Rangnir, Fernis and Mareike inspect the gap in the cellar wall again. The dwarfs' stonecunning soon unearthes some interesting pieces of information - while the cellar is hardly older than three hundred years, the room behind it is at least twice that age and was build by someone with a much greater cunning. The stones are smooth and even and the used granite stems from the World Edge Mountains. However, it was no dwarven work, but maybe done by someone who had inspected dwarven architecture.
Let us inspect the foundations then. With that, Rangnir heads town the cellar, following Mareikes lead.
"Since these stones were obviously not cut by a dawi's hand who do you think that it may have been? While not dwarven work it isn't too bad for a human maybe."
@Fernis and Rangnir:
Do you want to enter the ancient tunnels through the gap?
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Now you've made the guard suspicious
The man you are describing is Anton...and no, he has no reason to hide the rifle unless he wants to get torn apart by a beastman...which I highly doubt.
Yes, Rangnir at least, is curious of what he might find behind, and I doubt Fernis would let him venture forth alone.
Standing at the end of the passage, eyes wide in the semi-darkness, starting at times at the shapes thrown upon the walls by the candle, Mareike hisses back down the gap "Will you dawi come!!"
The man is dumbfounded, for a moment you fear he just slaps you for telling such a lie, but then he slowly scratches his neck
Ok wait...Anton has taken the rifle and hid it? Why would he do that?! He must be crazy, he has seen the havoc the weapon caused in the beastmen's lines...Uh...I'd say we tell Blucher what you saw, ok?
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Behind the gap, the ancient corridor leads northwards for about 30m until it ends in a round room with a diameter of about 8m.
The room is dominated by a black altar resting in its centre.
The dwarfs quickly find out that it is made of a very uncommon kind of onyx, the same material that is used by the chaos dwarfs to build their ziggurats.
On top of the altar an embossed chaos star with a deformed skull at its centre laughs at the beholder.
Behind the altar, iron steps have been driven in the wall. Through a narrow chute they lead upwards.
Rangnir is the first to speak, though in a coarse voice:
Does anybody elese think that this is far worse then we thought?
Then, as much as he would love to just leave this place alone, he begins to inspect the altar and after that, the reminder of the room.
Fernis seeing the alter immediately draws hammer and shield. Years hunting all manner of targets has led the dwarf across such things before and the results were never favorable. "Be quiet. We must kill anyone we cross from here on out. If they are to slip away, the battle may be lost before we have the chance to prepare."
Gazing at the altar and floor in horror, Mareike strides to the grotesque skull, draws one if her daggers and strikes it to the floor "Abomination!" she cries.
Fernis notices old blood stains (but not older than some days) and rests of strange metallic powders on the altar and next to it - most probably both remains of some kind of ritual.
There is a cracking sound as the dagger connects with the skull, but besides a very small notch, her attack has no effect.
Fernis notices old blood stains (but not older than some days) and rests of strange metallic powders on the altar and next to it - most probably both remains of some kind of ritual.
There is a cracking sound as the dagger connects with the skull, but besides a very small notch, her attack has no effect.
Staring from her dagger to the skull and back, Mareike shrugs, her righteous anger dissipated.
She asks the dwarves "Is this " waving her hand around the altar room " in use? Can we destroy it?"
Hissing in a whisper, "Mind yourself, girl! Do you want the entire manner upon us? We must not be caught here so unprepared. It will be us they have strung up as cultist if I am unable to silence them quickly enough." Moving to idol the dwarf takes what info he can quickly as possible.
"They have been at work here. These stains are but a few days old. Though I am unsure what the powder here is. I hope these are not the tidings of Khorne. We will be in trouble if they are hiding about this damned pace."
Once the weapon is collected, the two of you walk back to the guard tower. Alfons akss you to wait and a after a minute he returns with a concerned looking Blucher.
Alfons here told me that you saw Anton Richter stealing and hiding one of our most precious weapons?!
-----------
The room is empty besides the altar and safe - at least for now. The chute is indeed the only other way out. Rangnir doesn't notice anything besides the already mentioned.
I guess we should check out, where these steps lead to, then? Rangnir says and gestures to Fernis to take the lead.
Fernis nods and moves forward at a cautious pace. Gesturing for the others to follow, he advances.
The chute isn't very long, maybe about 10m. Then you reach a trapdoor above you. Fernis tries to push it open with one arm, but it takes some time to open it properly, since someone has laid a carpet above it. After some rummaging, the dwarf is able to poke his head through the opening and finds himself in the ... library!
-------
Blucher hesitates before he answers in a very grave voice
Swear to Sigmar that you speak the truth.
"I'll be a gronti's loincloth....",Fernis whispers to himself. Easing the door back down as quietly as possible, he comes back to the others. "We must be makin' haste to leave this place.That door leads to the library. That rotten grobi must be responsible for at least a portion of this mess. Franz needs ta know what they are doin' ta his people."
"The Library? Deep down I was hoping that this would lead to a evil glen outside the manor. We'll need to burn the entire place to the ground to purge this taint , I think. " Mareike says emerging back into the accursed altar-room.
ZZ, forgot to ask before. Is the location of the moving shelf in the cellar the same place Mareike saw the cook rummaging around the first time down in the cellar?
Easy, Girl. Let us first see, who is involved in this. If we destroy this one defense while the beastmen are still out for our blood, we could seal our own fates.
Rangnir looks back at the way to the library.
Now I really want to know what this disgusting human was hiding when I first saw him.
Back to Franz then?
@ Mareike: Yes
Yes, back to the Kitchen.
"I like the the way ye think, girl, but we need to snag the nasty bastards so we can at least get our gold.", Fernis takes up the rear knowing that nothing too dire lies before them, but also knowing that something could be lurking behind.
Mareike, now that we have more then a few suspects, we should take a look at your list, again.
"Nothing like havin' ah to do list, eh, rhunki?"
Could easily become a 'to kill' list, so it should be to your liking
"Best to be the first to forge.",he replies.
Franz waits by the trapdoor making sure it stays open. He hears sounds of moving shelves and people squeezing through then nothing for a some minutes, then he thinks he hears people in the cellar again...
"Yeah I have the list here " Mareike show it to the dwarves
She grows a bit thoughtful, "I'd sort of given up on the cook being involved with the cult, but I now remember I saw her fiddling around the moving shelf...but I don't know if she was closing it or looking for it...still not sure...."